It’s Dinesh Vijan’s most audacious move to date. Maddock is going to frame the month with a pair of biopics you can’t help but talk about. First up is Rajkummar Rao's Prahaar – The Ujjwal Nikam Story (August 7), followed by Shraddha Kapoor in Eetha (August 28), put there to make the most of the Raksha Bandhan weekend.
Why this is a Maddock month
It is not often you see a producer put out two major films in the same 30 days, but August is all but branded by them now. This news comes a few days before they roll out their romantic comedy Cocktail 2, which only puts more heft behind what the studio is up to in every corner of the market.
One of the top trade analysts has already made note of the double-header and put the dates out there for everyone to see. When you look at the way these are positioned, it’s clear the intent is to have your full attention in a month that is as much about the holidays as it is about the movies.
Here is the rundown of the confirmed line-ups:
– August 7, 2026: Prahaar – The Ujjwal Nikam Story, Rajkummar Rao
– August 28, 2026: Eetha, Shraddha Kapoor
Eetha for the festive season
Shraddha is back in theatres with Eetha on August 28, 2026, right in step with Raksha Bandhan. It is a film about Vithabai Bhau Mang Narayangaonkar, the Maharashtrian Tamasha and Lavani legend, and it will take you from the 40s to the 90s to show how she made her name and the obstacles in her way.
Laxman Utekar is at the helm, so you can count on a rekindled partnership with Maddock after 2025’s Chhaava with Vicky Kaushal and Rashmika Mandanna. Randeep Hooda is in the male lead, and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub is in the mix as well.
A head-to-head on Raksha Bandhan
Eetha is not the only thing on the docket for the holiday; it will be up against Vvan with Sidharth Malhotra and Tamannaah Bhatia. Different genres, different crowds – the kind of box office tussle that has the trade paying close attention.
Getting things started with Prahaar
We kick off with Prahaar – The Ujjwal Nikam Story on August 7. Rajkummar Rao is in the driver’s seat for this one. It is an unvarnished look at public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and the kind of career you build under the hot lights of a courtroom.
You will also have Wamiqa Gabbi, Sikander Kher and Jaideep Ahlawat to give the film some edge. Then there is the fact that it is another project between Rao and Dinesh Vijan, a combination that has a history of making no-nonsense calls and moving numbers.
For the fans and the bottom line
Put two true stories, a festival and some of the bigger names in the room together and you have a very deliberate lineup. Taran Adarsh has been vocal about it: these are high-calibre, real-life tales that should draw in more than just the die-hards.
This is the first we have had from Shraddha since 2024’s Stree 2, and for Rao, it is a chance to put a face on a legal heavyweight. One way or another, you will want to have both Fridays marked on your calendar.
